The CAA Foundation is the philanthropic arm of leading entertainment and sports agency, Creative Artists Agency (CAA). Named as one of Fast Company’s Best Workplaces for Innovators, the CAA Foundation activates popular culture to create sustainable social change by mobilizing timely initiatives and partnerships that create awareness and action. Over the years, the CAA Foundation has become a leader in the entertainment community on education, the environment, civic engagement, and crisis response.
In response to the tragic wildfires that have impacted countless families and communities across Southern California, the CAA Foundation, in partnership with Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE), a global humanitarian organization cofounded by actor Sean Penn that empowers communities in and beyond crisis, and the Los Angeles Unified School District Education Foundation came together to launch a collaborative relief and recovery effort, the SoCal FIRE FUND.
The campaign’s goals included:
Within 72 hours of the onset of the fires, the CAA Foundation announced the launch of the SoCal FIRE FUND. The fund is administered by the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), the creative community’s trusted partner in philanthropy.
Understanding that the scope of loss for residents across the Los Angeles-metro area is immense, the CAA Foundation’s strategy for long-term relief was to call for a robust, compassionate, and flexible response from a coalition of partners with varied expertise. A unique differentiator for the fund is the focus on long-term case management to help impacted individuals and families navigate government and local services.
To raise awareness and critical funds, the CAA Foundation partnered with CharityBuzz, the leading online marketplace that works with nonprofits, corporations, vendors, agencies, celebrities and other donors to bring customers unmatched access and extraordinary experiences to raise funds for social causes, to offer once-in-a-lifetime experiences with proceeds benefiting the SoCal FIRE FUND. Tapping into their unparallel network of agency clients, they were able to help provide unique experiences made available for auction and sweepstakes.
With sweepstakes starting at $10 per entry, experiences included:
Auction items included:
A Public Service Announcement highlighting the long road to recovery for Angelenos, and the importance of the SoCal FIRE FUND’s effort, was created and produced by Orbital Studios, a film and television production studio specializing in virtual production. The PSA, an in-kind donation from Orbital Studios, is voiced by Jaime Ray Newman, an Oscar-winning producer and accomplished actress.
Over 4,000 NYC taxi cabs also featured the SoCal FIRE FUND logo and donation URL on their taxi tops for two weeks, pro bono.
As a result of this collaborative effort and the generous support of major donors, including Amazon, NBCUniversal, and many other key contributors, the fund has already raised over six million dollars. The team has deployed resources, including more than 4 million dollars in direct cash assistance, over 8,300 hygiene kits, school supplies, personal protective equipment, and more, to over 5,000 individuals and families impacted by the wildfires.
Additionally, in partnership with Caterpillar, two reservoirs within the Rubio Cañon Water System, holding a combined 1,012,000 gallons, were restored to ensure safe drinking water for parts of Altadena.
Generating over $12,000,000 in advertising value, bringing a total raise of over $18,000,000 for the SoCal FIRE FUND, the national PSA served as a critical reminder to audiences nationwide that many families remain impacted and in need.
Coverage is ongoing and immense, with national broadcast features highlighting the fund on The Today Show (NBC), Anderson Cooper 360 (CNN), and Katy Tur Reports (MSNBC). In addition, there has been ongoing coverage in top tier media outlets including Vogue, Forbes, The Hollywood Reporter, People Magazine, Rolling Stone, and more.
Online, the social campaign, including a crisis relief toolkit, reached over 3.4 million views. Celebrity participants who amplified the relief campaign included Michelle Pfeiffer, Leonardo DiCaprio, Pedro Pascal, Lily Collins, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Tom Ellis, Julia Roberts, Jimmy Fallon, Chris Hemsworth, and Bills Simmons, among many others, amassing a global audience of over 265 million.
